B.C. Conservatives projected to win majority as Lorne Doerkson set to become premier

The Story

Lorne Doerkson, the B.C. Conservative interim leader, is projected to defeat incumbent premier David Eby and the BC NDP in Saturday’s provincial election, putting the Conservatives on track to form a majority government.

The projected result would mean the New Democrats are reduced to the Official Opposition for the first time since 2017.

Election timing became a major backdrop for the campaign. Eby called the snap election despite having a one-seat majority in the legislature, with his opponents viewing it as opportunistic. Doerkson’s rise to party leader and premier-elect came quickly after the Conservatives installed him following months of leadership turnover.

Doerkson took over as Conservative leader after the remaining members of the embattled Conservative caucus recommended he assume the role. He hurried back from a trip to Africa and brought legislators back to the party within days, and then began campaigning to become premier despite having joined the party in 2024.

Prior to Doerkson’s elevation, the Conservatives’ leadership was marked by repeated changes. John Rustad, a former B.C. Liberal who joined the Tories in February 2023 and became leader the following month, led the Conservatives to 44 seats in October 2024—three shy of forming government. Rustad later resigned last December amid infighting, departures, and expulsions, and Kerry-Lynne Findlay then took over.

Findlay stepped down Sept. 20, two days before Eby called the snap election. Her 113 days in charge were marked by multiple MLAs leaving the Conservative caucus, either quitting or being fired, as debate continued over the party’s direction. By the end of her tenure, the Conservative caucus was in the mid-20s.

Alongside the leadership changes, the Conservatives’ campaign faced criticism over candidate conduct and media access in the final stretch. The party dismissed Vancouver-Strathcona candidate Jordan McIntosh over online posts, and later ejected candidate Joachim Agou for comments tied to a car that rammed a pro-Palestinian protest group in Switzerland. The campaign also faced scrutiny involving Katy Merrifield, the Conservatives’ election campaign director, after an anti-Islam social media post; Doerkson defended keeping Merrifield, saying the post was made in a moment of trauma.

Opponents also condemned the Conservatives for not dropping Chilliwack North candidate Heather Maahs after comments she made about the SOGI 123 program during a 2022 podcast appearance. The Conservatives were also criticized for a lack of media availabilities in the campaign’s final stretch and for not allowing reporters to ask Doerkson follow-up questions at news conferences.

The Conservatives’ platform was released only a few days after advance voting began. The party said it would “supercharge” B.C.’s economy by bringing in new revenue without cutting front-line services or raising taxes, describing the plan as restraint rather than austerity.

Among the platform commitments attributed to the Conservatives are shrinking the deficit to $10.8 billion by 2030, cutting income tax, approving new home builds with less red tape, and replacing the no-fault insurance model with a hybrid system. The party also said it would open more child care spaces, create 24-hour child care for certain professions, repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and expand natural gas and LNG development.